iPod/iPhone firmware update 1.1.4 released — Just connected my iPhone to iTunes. More details as they come in. — 1:30: I'm downloading the software now... To download directly, the direct links are iPhone and iPod. (Do let me know if I messed either of those up.)

Google: Does Search Data Indicate a Recession? — The news is buzzing this morning, starting with a report from UBS that alleges that Google's paid clicks are down in January. Analysts from a number of firms have been speculating that this may be a sign that a slowing economy is affecting search.

Microsoft's Live Poops Out … I got an IM from a source a few minutes ago asking if Hotmail and other Live services were down. Being signed into Windows Live Messenger, I assumed that he was wrong. — Not so. When I tried to sign into Windows Live Hotmail, during the Live ID authentication process …

iTunes Now Number Two Music Retailer in the US — iTunes Customers Top 50 Million — Apple® today announced that iTunes® (www.itunes.com) is now the number two music retailer in the US, behind only Wal-Mart, based on the latest data from the NPD Group*.

Kids don't like CDs: iTunes Store now #2 music retailer — iTunes has officially eclipsed Best Buy in music sales and now comes in as the number two music retailer in the world. That's not just digital music either—that's all music, including CD sales. iTunes now sits just behind Wal-Mart …

Lance Ulanoff's death spiral has begun — I hate to pick on someone — unless they deserve it, of course — but I'm willing to make an exception in Lance Ulanoff's case. He's the PCMag editor whose piece on Facebook got picked up by Fox News, primarily (I'm assuming) because of the headline …

Facebook's Death Spiral Has Begun — Facebook's long, slow, and, for some, sad decline into oblivion has begun. — A recent report from The New York Times stated that the company is going to try to make it easier for members to get off the service. This is a clear indication that the social network's days in the sun are numbered.

An Open Approach to Search — If you didn't realize it, Yahoo! is embracing openness like never before: — Hadoop Now at the Heart of Every Yahoo! Search — Yahoo!'s Quest to Open Up — The open theme continues today as we are announcing that we are opening up Yahoo! Search itself.

Social network downtime in 2008 — This is a list of 14 of the largest social networks in the world, and how much downtime they have had so far in 2008. … As we mentioned in a recent report, Bebo's downtime has increased significantly lately and has had by far the most downtime …

Refine by user ratings and neighborhoods — Ever since I moved to the New York City Google office I've had an agenda: exploring the best the city has to offer like so many other New Yorkers do. Sometimes this can be an overwhelming experience, since the city has more than 18,000 food vendors according to nycvisit.com!